Authorities: Cartel member involved in Dubuque meth trade sentenced to 13 years in prison

A California man has been sentenced to more than a decade in federal prison for his role in distributing more than three kilograms of methamphetamine in Dubuque in 2017.

Jose Juan Ceja, 25, of Bell Gardens, Calif., was sentenced to 13 years in prison Thursday in U.S. District Court in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. There is no parole in the federal system.

Authorities said Ceja primarily worked as a money collector for a Mexican drug cartel that was responsible for distributing meth in Dubuque in 2018. He also is accused of threatening a customer by showing a video of cartel members cutting off peoples’ heads and hands.

Ceja must serve five years of supervised release after his prison term.

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